2.245.010 Office of the Arts.
(a) Office of the Arts Created. There is hereby created an Office of the Arts for the City of Topeka. The office shall be an adjunct to the office of the City Manager. The Office of the Arts shall provide the technical assistance to arts programs and coordination of arts programs within the City of Topeka, administer the Topeka arts grant program, and the art in public places program.
(b) Arts Advisory Committee Created. There is hereby created an Arts Advisory Committee within and a part of the Office of the Arts. The Arts Advisory Committee shall assist the Office of the Arts in carrying out its responsibilities as described in subsection (a) of this section. The Arts Advisory Committee shall also serve as a focal point for providing assistance to arts programs within the City of Topeka, which may include but not be limited to the following activities:
(1) Providing recommendations to the City Manager and City Council on Topeka arts grant program requests;
(2) Technical assistance in grant writing;
(3) Technical assistance in fundraising;
(4) Distributing an advisory committee newsletter;
(5) Providing technical assistance and coordination to the arts community;
(6) Hosting special arts events;
(7) Establishing and maintaining a detailed resource information database including “technical/performance” marketing and management resources;
(8) Developing a supporting relationship with the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library and Washburn University to support arts databases; and
(9) Performing other such duties in making recommendations as may be requested by the Mayor and the City Council.
The Arts Advisory Committee shall prepare and file with the City Clerk an annual report on the state of affairs of the arts in the City of Topeka. Additional reports may be filed with the City Clerk in such manner and frequency as may be requested by the City Manager and City Council.
(c) Arts Advisory Committee Membership. The Arts Advisory Committee shall consist of 10 members appointed by the Mayor and an eleventh member of the Committee shall be appointed by the Mayor as the chair of the Committee. Each member of the Arts Advisory Committee shall be a resident of the City of Topeka. Members of the Arts Advisory Committee shall serve a term of four years, corresponding to the term of the appointing authority. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms after the completion of the first term. Members shall serve until a successor is appointed. Committee members may be affiliated with other arts boards or committees by way of membership. Members of the Arts Advisory Committee shall serve without compensation. Meetings shall be served at the call of the chair with at least one meeting to be held quarterly. Any committee member who is absent for any three scheduled meetings in a row shall automatically be removed from the Committee. Vacancies occurring on the Arts Advisory Committee shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term by the appropriate appointing authority.
(d) Art in Public Places Program Created. There is hereby created an art in public places program that shall be administered by the Office of the Arts. The art in public places program provides opportunities for permanent or temporary displays of art in public places either on City-owned facilities or by the permission of the property owner on private property. Policies and procedures for administration of this program shall be approved by the Mayor based on recommendations of the Arts Advisory Committee.
(e) Topeka Arts Grant Program Created. There is hereby created a Topeka arts grant program to be administered by the Office of the Arts. The Topeka arts grant program shall provide opportunities for recipients to receive funding for art projects, programs, activities, or one-time capital outlay expenses. The Topeka arts grant program shall not be used to supplant funding for ongoing, repetitive operating expenses or for salaries. The Topeka arts grant program is detailed in a separate resolution adopted and approved by the Topeka City Council. (Ord. 20206 § 83, 9-10-19; Ord. 18381 § 5, 1-25-05; Ord. 18161 §§ 1 – 8, 1-13-04; Ord. 17850 §§ 1 – 6, 6-11-02. Code 1995 § 2-33(a) – (e). Formerly 2.75.010.)